On October 19, a group of 14 — pilgrims, really — from the Synod of Lakes and Prairies arrived at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. As part of their civil rights journey through Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, they came to walk the grounds where history holds its breath, to witness a Presbyterian institution that bears the weight of the past with the dignity of the present and the promise of the future.
During its fall meeting, the Synod of Lakes and Prairies approved a new policy of restorative actions.
Synod Moderator Jeff Dickinson noted that the synod — comprised of Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and eastern and central Nebraska — pledges to allocate, according to its new policy, “a proportional amount of wealth it receives from future undesignated bequests and property transfers for surrender to Restorative Actions trusts or Afro American and Indigenous organizations benefiting their communities.”
Was it all just an American dream?
That was the provocative title Dr. Gordon Govens and Jim Koon gave their week-long course at Synod School, which concluded last Friday.
Picking up on his Wednesday theme of faith communities and mid councils “seeing beyond the standalone model of being church,” on Thursday Dr. Corey Schlosser-Hall told the 540 or so people attending Synod School he’s talked to several attendees about how they’re “creatively using God’s resources to be a blessing beyond themselves.”
A longstanding practice at Synod School is to offer a talk-back session with the convocation speaker each evening. At the start of his talk on Tuesday, Dr. Corey Schlosser-Hall, this year’s convocation speaker, shared some of what he learned during Monday evening’s talk-back.
Synod School, put on each year by the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, turns 70 this year, and so who else would leaders ask to preach during opening worship on Sunday than Elona Street-Stewart, a septuagenarian who’s the synod’s executive and Co-Moderator of the 224th General Assembly (2020).
When Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri learned that the 226th General Assembly of the PC(USA) would be celebrating the 75th anniversary of One Great Hour of Sharing — complete with a limited edition, enamel pin featuring Gracie, the Offering’s beloved mascot — she didn’t want to miss out.
Joining the recent Polity, Benefits and Mission Conference via Zoom, the Rev. Mark Elsdon delivered on the message of his 2021 book of the same name: We aren’t broke.
Once the American Film Institute came out with its list of the 100 most memorable heroes and villains, the Rev. Mark Bedford did AFI one better: He paired the top good and bad guys and gals Hollywood has to offer with scriptural passages to promote lively discussions during his “Good vs. Evil 2: The Sequel!” class held last month during Synod School.
